Things You Have Never Heard about Xanax

All drugs come with side effects, and Xanax is no exception to this rule. While Xanax does cause some intense side effects, there are many other strange uses and effects of Xanax. These facts include the following:

• People take Xanax as a diet pill, although Xanax increases fat intake
• Xanax is so potent that .5mg of Xanax is equivalent to up to 10mg of Valium
• Xanax has been known to cause strange vivid dreams (even nightmares) in users
• Unexplainable rage and episodes of violence are possible when taking Xanax
• Because Xanax is used to treat emotional disorders and not pain, suicidal thoughts or actions are one of the most frequent side effects during withdrawal
• If a person has become addicted to Xanax, he or she must seek treatment before they attempt to quit the drug

Xanax Addiction Treatment Can Work

If you or loved one no longer has control over Xanax use, seek treatment. There are options for rehab that will suit your needs such as residential or outpatient rehab. Hospital services will tend to the detoxification phase by housing an individual until the drug has been successfully cleansed from the body. Afterwards, no counseling is offered, and recovering individuals may be offered recommendations for rehabilitation facilities that offer the necessary psychological treatment. Outpatient rehab offers both physical care during withdrawal and therapy for psychological Xanax addiction, but a recovering user is not required to remain at the facility overnight. Individuals come to scheduled appointments and then return home. While this rehab option is more preferable than hospitalization, an inpatient rehab center where the individual stays for an extended period of time for treatment is typically the best and most effective option.

We Can Help with Xanax Addiction

If you or a loved one is suffering from an addiction to Xanax, you can do something about it. The time to act is now. A Xanax addiction is not something to be handled lightly, and you should seek treatment as soon as possible. Call our toll-free helpline which is available 24 hours a day to learn more about recovery options or to simply voice your concerns. Get the help you need today, call us now.

Alprazolam Dependency

Alprazolam (Xanax) pills

Alprazolam is a highly dependent drug. Often, Alprazolam addictions happen accidentally and are in need of Xanax addiction help. Typically, patients who are administered more than 4 mg/day for periods of 12 months or longer are at a greater risk of developing a dependency. When used for a prolonged amount of time, the body becomes used to the amount of drugs administered. When this happens, the user has to take more to receive the initial effects. This is a dangerous thing to do because when a user does not take the medication, withdrawal symptoms will occur. It seems to be a cycle because many people who take Alprazolam need it for long term use because they cannot overcome the anxiety. When taking this drug, the patient needs to do exactly as the doctor says to stay clear of addiction. It is important to talk to your doctor before getting off of Alprazolam to ensure that withdrawal symptoms do not occur.

Effects of Alprazolam Abuse

Alprazolam is a depressant, so it acts much like alcohol in that it calms the body by slowing the brain down. Some Xanax effects that a user will experience the first times are:

• Difficulty concentrating
• Depressed heartbeat
• Depressed breathing
• “Floating” sensation
• Addiction
• Excessive sleepiness
• Mental confusion

Once an addiction has started, less desirable symptoms begin to occur:

• Muscle cramps
• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Drowsiness
• Loss of appetite
• Loss of coordination
• Loss of concentration
• Slurred speech

Alprazolam Addiction Treatment

Prescription drug abuse and addiction is continuing to escalate and Alprazolam is at the top of the list of those medications which are involved with addiction. Initially prescribed for a short-term treatment for anxiety, abusers have a much easier time acquiring the medication especially through Internet sources.

Psychologists, addiction counselors and physicians agree that detoxification is the first step in treating Alprazolam addiction. Typically, detoxification last between three days to two weeks and affords you close medical supervision. Detox programs are usually offered within a residential drug rehabilitation setting which provides 24 hour nursing and medical support.

What to Look for in Drug Detox Programs

How long a person requires detox depends on several things including:

• The frequency and severity of the addiction
• Other medical concerns
• Psychological issues
• The person’s commitment level to the detox process

Regardless of how long the detox program lasts, make sure that you find a program that provides an individualized treatment plan, designed to meet your specific needs. This plan should include a humane withdrawal process and 24 hour medical supervision.

Rapid Drug Detox Programs

In an effort to avoid the withdrawal process, some facilities offer what is referred to as “rapid drug detox.” Through this procedure, an addict is given general anesthesia so that the person does not experience the symptoms associated with withdrawal including:

• Panic, anxiety
• Insomnia, nightmares
• Moodiness
• Tremors, convulsion
• Nausea, vomiting
• Hallucination

Many addiction counselors, psychologists and physicians feel that the rapid detox offering may not fully support long-term recovery. The addict, having not been invested in the detox process, may not have as significant a commitment to their recovery as an addict who has painfully endured the withdrawal process.

While the detox experience actually contributes to long-term success, many drug detox programs can help ease the discomfort of withdrawal.

Addiction Help Treatment

If you or a loved one is addicted to Alprazolam, it is important to seek help. Alprazolam is a highly dependent drug. Once addicted, the effects are devastating. But there is hope. If you are interested in receiving information on Alprazolam detox or rehab, please call our toll free number at (877) 571-5720.

Xanax and Panic Disorder

Controlled clinical trials have demonstrated that Xanax is effective in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder. Panic disorder is associated with recurrent, unexpected panic attacks that often involve a short period of intense fear or discomfort, along with other physical symptoms such as palpitations, sweating, shaking, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, dizziness, and fear of dying.

Xanax and Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Generalized anxiety disorder is associated with unrealistic, excessive anxiety or worry about two or more life circumstances for a period of six months or longer. Some of the symptoms which may be present include: muscle tension, aches or soreness, feeling shaky, restlessness, palpitations or increased heart rate, sweating, shortness of breath, dry mouth, dizziness, diarrhea, nausea, frequent urination, irritability, and/or trouble falling or staying asleep.

Xanax and Social Anxiety Disorder

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a form of the general anxiety disorder with more specifics in the effects. Xanax has also been

Xanax helps treat anxiety.

prescribed for individuals who battle with this. People with social anxiety disorder have an irrational fear of being watched, judged or evaluated, or of embarrassing or humiliating themselves. The anxiety and discomfort becomes so extreme that it interferes with daily functioning.

SAD is one of the most common mental disorders with up to 13 percent of the general population experiencing symptoms at some point in their life. With proper treatment, symptoms can be managed and quality of life can greatly improve.

The difference between normal shyness and SAD relates to the severity and persistence of the symptoms that are experienced. People with SAD have both emotional and physical symptoms. Some of the emotional symptoms include:

• Intense fear of situations where you don’t know other people
• Fear of situations where you will be judged
• Anxiety about being embarrassed or humiliated
• Fear that others will notice your anxiety
• Fear and dread of upcoming events weeks in advance

Examples of physical symptoms include:

• Blushing
• Profuse sweating
• Trembling hands
• Muscle tension
• Racing heart

People with SAD know that their fear is out of proportion to the actual situation but are still unable to control their anxiety. The anxiety may be specific to one type of social or performance situation (known as specific SAD) or it may be in all situations (generalized SAD). Some of the situations that are common triggers include interacting with strangers, making eye contact, and initiating conversations.

Xanax and Bipolar Disorder

Xanax is also one of many prescription benzodiazepines used to treat bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is a serious illness. It can make a person’s normal moods seem extreme. It used to be called manic depression. People with bipolar disorder have mood swings which can range from very low (depression) to very high (mania). Bipolar disorder sometimes is confused with other types of depression.

Benzodiazepines rapidly help control certain manic symptoms in bipolar disorder until mood-stabilizing drugs can take effect. They are usually taken for a brief time (up to two weeks) with other mood-stabilizing drugs. They may also help restore normal sleep patterns in people with bipolar disorder. Benzodiazepines slow the activity of the brain, and in doing so they help treat mania, anxiety, panic disorder, insomnia, and seizures.

Xanax is also useful for treating anxiety associated with depression (as anxiety and depression often come hand in hand).

Other Ailments treated with Xanax

On occasion, healthcare providers may also recommend Xanax for treating something other than anxiety and panic disorder. “Off-label” Xanax uses can include the treatment of the following conditions:

• Agitation
• Insomnia
• Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)

It can also be used for the temporary symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, depression, fear of strangers, and irritable bowel and premenstrual syndrome. Dosage would vary. In lower dosages, it may be prescribed to treat fibromyalgia.

Xanax Help

If you or someone you know is struggling with a Xanax addiction, we can help. Please call our toll free number at (877) 571-5720. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to answer your questions on Xanax treatment and addiction.

During that time, other antidepressants were on the market (Tricyclic antidepressants), proving to be harsher and more toxic. The market for benzos was sinking at the time so Upjohn attempted to reposition its benzodiazepine as a drug specific for “panic disorder” which was being to be diagnosed. Upjohn presented a new drug application to the FDA called Xanax, as an antidepressant, producing about 50 double blind studies, proving that alprazolam was better and less toxic than other drugs available at the time.

The FDA did give Upjohn approval, but then changed their minds and decided Upjohn could not launch Xanax as an antidepressant but as an anti-anxiety medication that “does not produce depression.” Because Upjohn had already spent millions of dollars on studies of Xanax to establish that panic was really an independent disease, the FDA did not required them to compare it to placebos or other anti-anxiety medications available at that time (Valium, Librium, etc).

By the early 1990s, Xanax had become one of the hottest drugs in psychiatry, prescribed by many psychiatrists in good faith that they were practicing scientifically and that Xanax offered unique hope in the epidemic of panic disorder sweeping the nation. Among insiders, panic jokingly became known as “the Upjohn illness.”

Xanax Development

Xanax is a derivative of an antidepressant and also has a benzodiazepine molecule, which works to suppress the overreaction of the central nervous system. This group is called triazolobenzodiazepines (Xanax and Halcion). For many years, thousands of doctors around the world have been prescribing Xanax for the treatment of several anxiety disorders, panic disorders, and acute stress disorders. Many patients who suffer from anxiety and depression and are treated with Xanax for long periods of time, experience the antidepressant effects. Chronically depressed patients, who begin to “feel good,” continue to take it and primarily do not develop a tolerance. Whenever they discontinue the use of Xanax, these patients become depressed again and may need Xanax addiction help. Patients who are treated for anxiety and panic attacks are more prone to Xanax relapse once the Xanax or alprazolam is discontinued..

The name Xanax is used all over the world, except in Latin-American countries where alprazolam is prescribed as “tafil.” Other brand names are used in other countries. The most common effective dose used is 0.25 mg, taken three or four times a day. However many patients do very well with Xanax and take it “as needed.” In other words it’s taken once or twice a day only when the patients feel they need it.

A Swedish company that acquired Upjohn (Pharmacia) continued the research on a long acting Xanax and they developed the Xanax-XR that comes in 1, 2 or 3 mg, taken once a day. Now that Pfizer Pharmaceuticals acquired Pharmacia and Upjohn, this product is made and marketed and sold by Pfizer.

Xanax Help

If you or someone you know is struggling with a Xanax addiction, we can help. Please call our toll free number at (877) 571-5720. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to answer your questions on Xanax treatment and addiction.